ROURKELA: The chief construction engineer (CCE) of the Road & Building circle in Keonjhar on Friday sought government approval for strengthening of the Karamdihi-Lulkidihi-Talsara stretch of state highway (SH) 24 in Sundargarh district at a cost of around Rs 22.54 crore.
The move came a day after deputy speaker and Talsara MLA Bhawani Shankar Bhoi drew attention of the CCE towards the battered condition of the 16-km stretch. Bhoi said the road had developed numerous potholes, causing inconvenience to commuters and raising the risk of accidents.
The CCE wrote to the chief engineer, Road I, Bhubaneswar requesting administrative approval and placement of fund from competent authority towards strengthening the stretch.
The estimated cost of the project includes GST, quality control, contingency, avenue plantation and maintenance costs, among others.
The double lane SH 24 covering Boudh, Rairakhol, Deogarh and Kuchinda runs through the Talsara assembly constituency in Sundargarh district towards Chhattisgarh.
The busy road serves the rural population of Subdega and Balishankara blocks. The road carries a large volume of transport and passenger vehicles, and people of adjacent Chhattisgarh also depend on it.